


Caught

by MegaeraVanbure



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Gender-Neutral Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaeraVanbure/pseuds/MegaeraVanbure
Summary: MC is called out by the seven demon brothers for what they've been up to...
Comments: 22
Kudos: 191





	Caught

Leviathan's lips turn up in a smirk as he walks into the room, eyes falling upon the person on the sofa. They sit cross-legged on the cushions, hunched slightly forward over their DDD. Whatever they're doing, he can tell they're enjoying it. _'I haven't missed the release of Shining Succubi Singers: Tale of an Idol Succubus Starting a Band With Her Friends and Topping the Charts Against All Odds, have I?!?'_ This thought getting the better of him, Levi approaches the sofa to sate his curiosity. He manages to resist the urge to LOL when stands behind them, remaining completely unnoticed.

He leans over their resident human--and when did he start thinking of the human as 'theirs,' anyway?--to get a good look at the screen of their DDD. It takes him a moment to register what he sees, but when it finally processes, he leans in closer. Nearly cheek to cheek now, the words escape him before they have the opportunity to go through any form of filter. "Why do you have a gallery album with my name on it?"

With a startled squeak, the exchange student nearly throws themself across the sofa, arms raised to move the device as far away from Levi as possible. Losing their balance as they do so, a flailing arm hits the side of the sofa and they lose their grip. The DDD drops silently to the thick carpet, out of their reach.

Unable to resist now, Levi laughs, sliding his headphones off to hang around his neck. He steps around the sofa, leaning down to pick up the device. Since it isn't locked, he takes the liberty to swipe a thumb across the screen, taking in the names on the various gallery folders. "Huh? These folders all have our names on them." Again he swipes, holding it away from his body as its owner lunges at him from the sofa. "Plus Solomon, Simeon," he blinks, looking over to meet Satan's gaze as the blond looks up from his reading on the other side of the room.

"LEEEVIIIIIIIIII!"

He sidesteps another lunge from the human as they get their feet beneath them. His eyes rove down the list on the screen as he continues, deftly dodging another attack without a thought. He is in his element as he scrolls down the screen. "Even Luke," he continues. By this point, the noise has drawn others to the room. Belphegor and Beelzebub come from the hall leading to the kitchen, the latter taking a bite from an enormous sandwich as he enters.

Levi laughs again, no longer able to fend off the attacks as the human pushes against him, arm outstretched for the DDD he now struggles to hold just out of reach. "Barbados and Diavolo, too! What is this?" Struggling to keep the device away, he nearly falls over when it is suddenly plucked from his hand. "Whaa...?" Glancing over his shoulder is the last straw and he loses his balance, falling into a tangled heap on the floor with the human.

"What, indeed," a melodious voice muses as Levi struggles to free himself from the flailing limbs. Lucifer stands over them both, the DDD held in one hand as he slowly lifts the other to scroll back up the page of little folder icons. A strangled cry comes from beside Levi, and he sits up. Finding himself suddenly detached from the flailing limbs, he glances at the human in surprise. Oh sure, they'll fight ~him~ for the DDD, but Lucifer shows up and suddenly they're tucking themself into a ball with their hands covering their face? It figures.

For a long moment, it is as if the scene is frozen. Levi leans back on the carpet, propping himself up with the heels of his hands. Satan watches Lucifer with an inscrutable expression, a finger wedged between the pages of his book, temporarily holding his place. Belphegor blearily rubs an eye, clearly still trying to rouse himself from a recent nap. Only Beelzebub makes any sound, watching in bemused curiosity while he makes quick work of the sandwich he brought with him.

The silence is broken not by Lucifer, who seems intent on scrolling through the DDD in his hand, his expression giving nothing away, but by two more individuals entering the room. Neither one seems to notice the gathered crowd or the tension in the air, their own tension nearly over-boiling about them. "And I told ya, Asmo, it ~wasn't~ me! What'd I do with a bunch of flowery perfumes, anyway?!?"

"They're cologne, not PERFUME, Mammon! At least get that much straight!" Asmodeus stops in his tracks, hands on hips, and stamps a foot in frustration. "Very ~expensive~ cologne I might add, which I had not used more than once or twice apiece. And what do you do with anything ELSE you steal in this house? Knowing you, they've probably already been sold and I'm never going to be able to replace them. Some of those were ~limited edition~ scents!"

Mammon takes a step back, away from his furious brother, one hand raised in protest while he nervously runs the other through his tousled white hair. "Whatcha want me ta do 'bout it? I keep tellin' ya, I didn't take nothing from your room!" With a second shuffling step backward, his boot taps something solid--something that shouldn't be in the middle of this room, he's quite sure of that. He freezes, too focused on evading a furious Asmodeus to check and see what is on the floor.

"Anything." The single word drops like a pin, causing even Asmo to fall silent, forced to slowly hiss out the breath he'd just taken to begin his yelling anew. All heads turn to Lucifer, who remains intent upon the device in his hand, his expression unchanged. "You didn't take ~anything~ from your brother's room," he clarifies without looking up. "Or so you claim." His eyes finally rise from the DDD to meet a startled Mammon's. "But we can resolve that later. Right now, I believe there are some... different questions that need answering."

Mammon breaks eye contact with his eldest brother only when he feels a light tug on his pant leg. It seems the 'something' he almost tripped over in his haste to keep distance between himself and Asmodeus was actually the exchange student human. That human now looks visibly shaken, lower lip firmly pinched between their teeth, as they get their feet beneath them and slowly rise. Mammon raises a brow, heat rising up the back of his neck at how close they seem to be pressing to him as they stand, tucked just slightly behind him in an unusually timid posture.

When his eyes, gazing over the sunglasses that have begun to slide down the bridge of his nose, finally meet the exchange student's gaze once more, he scowls. Whatever they're doing, it isn't HIM they're paying attention to. He's just being used as a shield! Following their eyes at last, he finds himself once again face to face with Lucifer--a suddenly much closer Lucifer than Mammon felt entirely comfortable with, expression even more stoic than usual. The white-haired demon flinches, standing quite suddenly straighter, before realizing that even his brother's attention isn't actually on him at all!

Half behind Mammon now, the human suddenly finds their voice. "I..." They break off just as suddenly, words failing them. Mammon feels the slightest pull on the sleeve of his jacket, realizing that they now hold a fistful of the fabric in their nervous grasp.

"Oi," he mumbles, tugging away in an attempt to step sideways, out from between the two. "Leggo." It seems they are glued to his side, however, for the human moves with him. Lucifer tilts his head, following their movement. "What..." The word trails off on Mammon's lips and he runs his fingers through his hair nervously once more, not even able to bring himself to break the tension with an awkward laugh and evasion. What was going on here?!?

After another tense moment, eyes still locked with the human, a slow, dangerous smile spreads across Lucifer's face. "So it would seem," he begins, turning slightly to be heard by everyone in the room even when his eyes never move from their target, "that we have an amateur photographer in our midst." He holds up the confiscated DDD almost casually, the screen showing nothing but a series of folder icons with writing beneath them, and slowly turns it so that everyone in the room can see.

Lowering the device, he turns it so that he can begin navigating the screen, not speaking as he waits for his brothers to get settled. Belphegor and Beelzebub step in from where they lingered in the doorway, dropping into matched armchairs across from the sofa. There's a soft, wet, 'pop' sound as Beel pops the last bite of sandwich into his mouth and sucks juice from his finger. His gaze skips from Lucifer to Mammon and the exchange student, brows knitting slightly in a concerned expression. Belphie, in contrast, closes his eyes and tilts his head back to drop against the back of the chair.

Satan rises from his seat across the room from the action, pulling something from his breast pocket and sliding it into his book so he can remove his finger. He sets the book on the seat as if reserving the space for later, before moving to take a chair closer to the group. Leaning forward some, he props an elbow on the arm of the chair, weight shifted to one side, his fingers steepled in his lap.

Asmodeus shifts his weight in agitation at the drastic shift from his situation to something as irrelevant as pictures. When it is clear there will be no way to reclaim the focus of the room, his shoulders droop. Then his eyes fall on the exchange student that is the new target of all this attention, hand still clutching Mammon's sleeve. With a smug little chuckle, he passes in front of the stunned pair before grasping the human's shoulders lightly and giving a quick push--easily forcing them to drop back onto the center cushion of the sofa. Mammon wobbles for just a moment before giving a cry of surprise and falling back with the pull on his coat sleeve, landing with a soft _whump_ to one side. Asmo then steps over Leviathan's outstretched legs on the carpet and drops on the human's other side with an amused grin.

Lucifer gives a small nod of satisfaction once his brothers are all settled, then begins to speak once more. His tone, although cool, has just the barest hint of underlying amusement. "Since it seems our photographer is currently speechless, why don't we let the photographs speak for themselves, shall we?" The brothers know this tone all too well. Each one of them has drawn it from him at one time or another, at which point he takes great satisfaction in bringing their mistakes or misdeeds to light and meting out punishment. It is no small wonder they sometimes refer to him as a sadistic bastard when he is out of earshot.

Lucifer's gloved finger hovers over the screen of the DDD for a moment before pressing down decisively. "We may as well go in order. Asmo, would you like to see these pictures?" He arches a dark brow as he extends the device to a confused Avatar of Lust, knowing full well that the last two brothers to arrive last would have no real idea of just what was occurring. "I think you will find that they are actually quite good," he adds as his brother accepts the DDD and turns it so that he can see the pictures right-side-up.

"These are," Asmodeus pauses, his posture suddenly perfectly straight as he sits up in surprise. "These are all of me." His tone is simultaneously somewhat reverent and more than a bit annoyed. "Why are there so many un-posed pictures of ME?!? These are all candid! Half of them aren't even of my best side," he adds as he brushes the back of his free hand gently across his right cheek to accentuate his point. More confused than ever, he looks up to Lucifer, who still stands before him, waiting patiently for the device to be returned. "Why--no, whose is this?" He flips it over as he returns it, brows shooting up as he recognizes the case.

The Avatar of Pride doesn't even bother answering his brother's question, as the latter's eyes have already fallen to the human sitting beside him. "Now then," he proceeds as if Asmodeus wasn't glancing back and forth between the exchange student and the DDD with the offending pictures. "Beel?" Again the device is held out, this time to Beelzebub.

"Huh?" More of an emotion than an actual question, as the ginger is already scrolling through the images on the screen before he even speaks. He pokes at a couple pictures to enlarge them, going back and forth through the images for a moment before a warm smile lights his face. "You're right; these are good. I didn't even know someone was there while I was working out that day." He looks up to lock eyes with the nervous human, who has scooted a bit closer to Mammon in an effort to escape the daggers Asmodeus is glaring. Mammon, for his part, seems too uncomfortable with the proximity of the exchange student to even have a thought to spare for the situation beyond that. "You took these?"

When a meek nod is the only response he receives, Beel takes it in stride, his smile never faltering. "Belphie, look, you're in here too!" The ginger-haired demon leans across the armrest of his chair towards his half-dozing twin. The latter opens his eyes to slits, casting a sidelong glare at his brother that shows he was never truly asleep to begin with. "Look, you're even awake in some of these," he adds with a chuckle, thrusting the device onto his brother's hands where they rest in his lap.

Left with little choice in the matter and not wishing to dampen his twin's apparent good mood despite the situation, Belphegor makes a show of rubbing one eye groggily as he sits up to look at the screen. He blinks a few times at the images. Is THAT what he looks like when he sleeps? For a moment, his face is blank as he thumbs through the gallery. Finally, he holds the device back out to Lucifer, by way of a yawn and a convenient stretch. "I don't even remember half those naps," he explains through the tail end of the yawn. "And why should I care if they take pictures of me, asleep or not?" Despite his words, he can feel the red burning in his cheeks. He looks away with a huff and moves to curl on his side in the chair, effectively removing himself from the discussion. His twin just chuckles a second time, shaking his head slightly.

Leviathan already has a hand outstretched when Lucifer turns to him, and the Avatar of Pride arches an amused brow, dropping the device into his brother's hand without a word. Levi immediately shifts forward, folding his legs beneath him as he leans over the DDD intently. He holds it between both hands, thumbs sliding up and down, tapping, and occasionally hovering over the screen thoughtfully. Hair falls forward into his eyes, but he doesn't even bother to move them from his vision. His expression behind that curtain shifts almost too drastically, from shock to wonder, wonder to outrage, outrage to an intense, creeping blush that rises up his face like a thermometer in water just beginning to boil. A few times the Avatar of Envy parts his lips as if to speak, then closes them again, pursed into a thin line, before his poking at the device picks up speed once more.

All around the room, his brothers wait, most impatiently. Asmodeus sits with his arms folded over his chest, a frustrated look marring his usually cheerful face. Every now and again he glances sidelong at the human beside him, who now sits as near to Mammon as they can possibly get without being in the Avatar of Greed's lap. Mammon sits stiffly upright, one arm over the back of the sofa, clearly held uncomfortably higher than he would naturally, as if the human might burn him if he touches them. Beel's eyes flick to the hall, clearly contemplating whether he would be missed if he slipped out for a quick snack. Belphie lay unmoving in his chair, curled on his side, the red tinge to the back of his neck the only thing giving away that he doesn't sleep. Satan leans forward in obvious interest now, elbows on his knees and chin resting upon his steepled fingers. When Lucifer begins to tap his foot impatiently, Levi's head finally snaps up and he lets out a puff of breath. "Right, sorry. I was--" he glances down to the DDD, shakes his head quickly in negation, and holds it out to the Avatar of Pride with a guilty shrug. "N-nevermind. That'd make you next, Lucifer."

Lucifer hmms noncommittally at that, plucking the device from Levi's palm with two fingers. He turns the screen to view it, intent on pulling up Mammon's album as he steps to that end of the sofa. He stops mid-stride, however, eyes fixed upon the screen that Levi had left open: the one baring Lucifer's own name. His eyes narrow, a hard "Tch" escaping him before he rounds on the human. "Where exactly," as he speaks, dark and angry, his eyes blaze. "Did you." Horns begin to slowly spiral from his hair, growing into their natural formation as he glares down. "Get these pictures?!?" In a sudden flash, as his wings burst into existence, he has shifted completely to his demon form, his anger radiating so hot even Asmo leans away, as if it were a physical force.

The exchange student squeaks, trying to tuck themself behind Mammon's shoulder, but the white-haired demon is having nothing of it. He finally manages to gather enough of his wits about him to push the human away, back to the center of the sofa. They look up slowly to meet Lucifer's terrifying gaze, then, their own eyes wide and understandably scared. "I--" They falter, tucking their chin in shame, but Lucifer leans in further. He slides a single gloved digit beneath the human's chin, his thumb just below their lower lip, and forces them to look him in the eyes. The words spill forth in a rush, then. "Diavolo sent them to me when he noticed that I was collecting," a hesitant pause, "pictures," and they pick up speed again, "but I was having trouble getting any of you so he said he had some he would send me, and he did!" They then blink, realizing everything they'd just admitted to, their eyes darting around the room--anything to avoid Lucifer's gaze.

He never releases his grip, however, and a firm squeeze of his fingertips causes the exchange student to once more meet those ruby and black velvet eyes. "And why," he begins in such a cool and level voice that Mammon and Asmo to either side of the human wince and look away uncomfortably themselves, "were you collecting pictures of my brothers and me?" A single eyebrow lifts as he continues, "Not merely pictures, but candid pictures of all of us in compromising or vulnerable positions. What possible reason could you have to explain this, hmm?"

Silence descends on the group like a weighted blanket, heavy and confining. Nervously, a pink tongue slips from pale lips to whet them. The human sucks that lower lip into their mouth next, chewing on it as they try to think of something to say. Their eyes continually flick down and away before returning to Lucifer's own and repeating the process. Lucifer narrows his eyes at the restless human, but is cut off before he can speak by a voice behind him: Beel's. "Does there have to be some nefarious purpose? Can't they just take pictures of us? I don't mind; it's not like they're hurting anything, right?" The redhead slides back in his seat slowly, sitting forward as he does so. "And Belphie's already said he doesn't care." His gaze drops to the carpet. "What about you, Levi?" The Avatar of Envy shakes his head emphatically, cheeks still tinged pink. "Se--"

His words are cut off by Asmo, as the latter jumps to his feet beside Lucifer to glare around the room at his brothers. "Well ~I~ care, even if you don't!" Hands balled into fists on his hips, the Avatar of Lust nearly fumes. "They're taken without our permission, and Devildom knows what they're using the pictures for. For all we know," and here his eyes light up in sudden realization, "for all we know this could be another one of Mammon's money making schemes! Have the human take candid pictures of the most powerful and influential demons in the Devildom and then sell those pictures for profit." He whirls in place to fix his glare on Mammon, who now holds both hands in front of him defensively.

"Oi, don't bring me into this mess! Here, lemme look at that," he mutters as he snatches the phone out of a distracted Lucifer's grasp. The Avatar of Pride doesn't even resist, eyes still pinning the human in place, letting his brothers hash out whatever they might between themselves. Mammon pokes at the DDD with overly-aggressive movements, grumbling all the while. "Not that it 'ain't a damn good idea," he scrolls a bit more, finally finding what he wants. "HA! See?" Now he speaks loudly, projecting his voice more than necessary in his attempt to defend himself. "It's right there. They've got a folder of me, too, an' I sure as shit didn't tell them to take 'em!" White-painted nails wrap around the edge of the device as he jumps to his feet and holds it in Asmo's face. "Think I'd sell pics of me, too? I've got a good thing goin' with that modeling gig. I ain't messin' that up!"

The Avatar of Lust scowls at Mammon for just a moment more before letting his shoulders droop. With an extended sigh, he hugs his elbows, shaking his head. "Well if those pictures don't ruin my reputation, the damage I'm doing my skin just from arguing with you certainly will." Mammon rolls his eyes at this, but does not protest, instead wordlessly tossing the device underhand in Satan's direction. Levi ducks with an awkward squawk just before it can have a chance to hit him square in the forehead, and Satan catches it deftly. Again, Asmo gives a heavy sigh. "And they still aren't talking," he whines, looking between Lucifer and the human.

"Oh, they will," comes the soft hiss from Lucifer, barely heard as behind him Levi begins to fuss at Mammon for nearly taking his head off. The seated human takes a slow, ragged breath, eyes meeting and holding with Lucifer's this time, as if transfixed. The bickering of the brothers becomes a background droning in their ears, hardly registered. The longer the two gazes are fixed upon one another, the more the human's expression shifts from fear to something more akin to regret. Their brows pinch together in a pained expression, as they mouth two words silently, imploringly, for Lucifer's eyes only. 'Don't. Please.'

His scowl relaxes into a puzzled frown, hard eyes fixed on the human a moment longer. When a thoughtful 'hmmm' comes from Satan, however, the spell is broken. Lucifer drops his hand from the human's face to stand and turn, arms folded over his chest. The exchange student collapses in upon themself once released, bent over double, face buried in their hands, and shoulders trembling. The Avatar of Pride flinches imperceptibly, his jaw clenched, before stepping away from the human to approach the Avatar of Wrath. "Well?"

Satan does not look up from the device, instead choosing to close his own folder to look in one of the other folders. He browses without comment for a moment more before selecting a picture and, with a sardonic brow raise, opening the properties. Wordlessly he holds the DDD up for Lucifer to see, watching his brother's face intently. When the middle brother sees the shift of emotion passing through the eyes of the eldest, he nods solemnly. "Some of these pictures are months old," he begins, the words instantly cutting through the squabble of Mammon, Levi, and Asmo (who joined in only after Mammon rudely shoved past him to reach Levi). Nodding again, Satan slowly closes the folders on the device screen and puts it to sleep before setting it on the coffee table. "If they were selling them, using them for blackmail, or trying to ruin our reputations, they could have done so by now. I think there's quite a bit more to this than just some pictures."

His eyes meet Lucifer's once more, and it is as though the two share thoughts for just a moment. Lucifer gives a small nod, squaring his shoulders as he turns back to the human. Only then does he realize the condition of said human, just short of sobbing, half curled on their side on the sofa cushion. Carefully, he lowers himself to one knee beside the sofa, his brothers all moving in around them. He reaches out to gently brush a strand of hair from the face of the curled up figure, closing his eyes as he gives a heavy, steadying sigh. "Now," he says, more tenderly than he has spoken since this scene began, "I believe there's something you need to say. Whatever it is, you know you can't avoid us all forever," he adds with a teasing smugness.

As the figure pushes themself up to a sitting position, rubbing the back of their forearm over their puffy eyes, with unshed tears glittering in their depths, Lucifer's solemn expression bleeds into one of regret. Unconsciously, he leans in just the barest hint, bringing his face close to the human's. It isn't until one of his upper wings curls forward, brushing the softest touch of feathers upon their cheek, that he even realizes what he's doing. Immediately he straightens his posture, pulling away from the almost intimate moment. The human's eyes move from him to each of his brothers in turn, around the semicircle that has formed before them.

With a loud sniff to gather their resolve and a final bite to their lower lip, the human gives a small nod. Their eyelids flutter closed, as if they can't bare to look into the demons' eyes as they speak, and their fingers interlace tightly as if in prayer. "I-I..." They take a slow breath, swallowing visibly, before they get their stuttering under control and begining anew. "I don't have much longer here, with all of you. There's only a month left. That's... that's no time at all," they explain, shaking their head slowly without opening their eyes. Around them, the demon brothers look from one to another, meeting eyes with serious expressions, before looking back to the speaking human. "The time I've been here--well, for you it's probably been nothing. The blink of an eye. And maybe," a slow, shaky breath interrupts them, but they force their way onward, "well, maybe when I'm gone you'll just forget about me and carry on with your lives as if nothing changed."

Still the human keeps their eyes tightly shut, knuckles of their clenched hands turning white from the pressure of their grip. "But--but for me, this has changed my life. You're just going to send me back to the human world, to my home." They shake their head vehemently, a single tear tracing down their cheek. "That isn't my home anymore. I don't want it to be my home anymore. But I'm going to have to go back, and I'll lose all of you. I'll lose you! So," a high pitched sound forms in the back of their throat, somewhere between a whine and a sob, "so I wanted to take as many pictures as I c-could. So I could never lose those memories. Never forget you. Always have you near." They choke back a sob, holding their breath for a heartbeat before continuing, voice barely above a whisper as they breathe, "So I wouldn't have to be alone."

One heartbeat. A shaky, unsteady breath. There isn't silence--it isn't quite that, no. All around the human are signs of movement: the rustle of fabric, the faintest brush of wind upon a tear-stained cheek. Adamantly, they refuse to open their eyes. They dare not, not after everything they just admitted! But then... what? Are the brothers expecting more from them? Do they have anything left to give? With a breath of a sigh, they finally give up, drooping to curl in upon themself once more, face in hands, like a marionette with cut strings.

Except...

Strong arms prevent them from drooping and sliding in upon themself. A weight shifts the cushions of the sofa on one side, and then another. As they are somehow brought from complete isolation to being surrounded by the warm press of bodies, their eyes fly open in shock. "Wh--" But a finger presses to their lips, lightly, and they look up to focus through tear-clouded eyes upon the face that swims before them: dark raven locks, touched with just a hint of white at tips that almost seems to shine. But the light is just refracting tears, nothing more, right? Deep crimson and velvet eyes, lidded with some unspoken emotion, meet theirs. Lucifer shakes his head, ever so slowly, waves of hair bouncing slightly with the gesture. His eyes flick away from the human's gaze, directing them to see what else surrounds the two of them.

The arms that hold the exchange student up are, they realize, not Lucifer's at all. To their right, Mammon clings tight to their side, the expression on his face almost a growl--if they hadn't seen it a hundred times before when he was about to cry over a sappy movie or show. To their left, Beelzebub tenderly holds them up, his expression one of intense concern. He looks searchingly in the human's eyes before finding whatever it is he seeks and smiling brightly, giving a sharp little nod. Beside him sits Belphagor, leaning across his twin to reach out. He holds the human's wrist, preventing them from hiding their face in their hands, a sleepy smile reaching all the way to his slow-blinking eyes.

It is only after meeting these eyes that the human leans back, helplessly, upon the sofa. Even in this position, they feel more pressure upon their skin, reassuring and warm. Tilting their head back, they see Asmodeus leaning over them, both arms spread forward to hug them tightly, arms tucked beneath the human's to hold them around the middle. Asmo tilts his head at the look he receives, eyes closing as he flashes his most winning smile without a word. On either side of him stands Satan and Leviathan, each leaning to reach out as well.

With another soft sigh, this one more of relief than anything else, the human eases back into the arms that hold them. A hand strokes their hair. Another gently squeezes a shoulder. Their eyes flutter closed as hands gently pry their fingers apart, snaking to twine their own digits with the human's. A lump forms in their throat, and they shake their head imperceptibly, unable to speak. Now they hear a soft "shh," inches from their face. Their breath catches, and they find themselves unable to release it as a warm forehead presses against their own, bangs falling forward to tickle the lids of their closed eyes. "Shh," repeats Lucifer, nose touching theirs. "You could never lose us, no matter where you go." His voice is so soft, the barest of whispers, yet they hear it perfectly. All around the others murmur their assent. "We will always be with you," he rumbles softly, voice soothing. "Right," a pause, and then a single fingertip presses to the human's chest, right above their heart, "here." Another murmur ripples through the group, more gentle squeezes, more radiated warmth and love.

"And make no mistake," he adds seriously, his voice sounding rock-solid with assurance. "We will come for you."


End file.
